The Bombay High Court bench on July 23 withdrew its oral observations praising the late Father Stan Swamy and even appreciating his work for society.
The bench of Justices Sambhaji Shinde and Nijamoo-din Jamadar withdrew their co-mments after the National In-vestigations Agency (NIA) took strong objection to the “personal comments of the bench.”
The bench was hearing the pending plea of Jesuit Father Swamy by which he had sought interim bail on medical grounds before he died.
On July 23, senior counsel Mihir Desai appearing for Swamy told the judges that he seeks four prayers i.e. to allow Father Frazer Mascarenhas to participate in the Magistrate enquiry in Swamy’s custodial death, to direct the Magistrate to submit its report before the judges and to follow the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on custodial deaths.
The last request that Desai made was that the enquiry should be done by a Magistrate in Mu-mbai. However, the NIA through additional solicitor general Anil Singh opposed the request. The ASG said that the court shouldn’t give directions particularly to follow the NHRC guidelines and also to submit the enquiry report to the bench.
“Moreover, we think that the appeal should be abated as he (Swamy) is no more,” Singh argued.
Countering the submission, Desai pointed out that even if Swamy isn’t here but the HC does have it’s “supervisory po-wers” and thus the appeal cannot be abated.
Aruna Kamat-Pai, the chief public prosecutor for the state said she agreed with the submi-ssions of the ASG over guide-lines, monitoring the enquiry etc. “As far as enquiry in Mumbai is concerned the state will take care of it,” she submitted.
Chinese authorities raid Zoom church service
Police officers and Chinese Communist Party officials raided a church in Guangdong Province, which advocates for justice in China, while its pastor and elder were leading an online worship service on Zoom, forcing the two to stop preaching.
Security agents, police officers and other officials surrounded the Shenzhen Trinity Gospel Harvest Church in Shenzhen city and forced Pastor Mao Zhibin and Elder Chu Yanqing to stop preaching, the U.S.-based group China Aid reported.
The incident took place earlier on July 11, about three months after a church member, Shi Minglei, also known as Hope, fled to the United States. Hope was also attending the online service that was raided.
Pastor Mao and elder Shen Ling also recently signed “A Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith,” led by Pastor Wang Yi of the heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church. In April, several members of Early Rain Covenant Church were arrested for participating in an Easter worship service on Zoom and ordered to cease all religious activity.
Persecution watchdog group Interna-tional Christian Concern reported at the time that the Christians were participating in a Zoom worship service from their homes on Easter Sunday when six leaders were arrested and detained by the Public Security Bureau.
The 5,000-member Sichuan house church has not been able to gather in person since the communist regime shut down the church in 2018 and arrested their pastor and other leaders. Since then, it has opted to gather online. “At that time I was also in the Zoom call, but there was a long period of time where I did not hear a thing,” a member of ERCC was quoted as saying. “I thought it’s the network connection issue at first, but I soon heard a quarrel erupt. Our co-worker Wang Jun was questioning some people, [saying], ‘Who are you to do this [to us]?’”
Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China, a large percentage of whom worship in what China considers to be “illegal” and unregistered underground house churches.
Airport echoes with sobs and farewells in Hong Kong exodus
Twice a day Hong Kong’s virtually de-serted airport fills with the sound of tearful goodbyes as residents fearful for their future under China’s increa-singly authoritarian rule start a new life over-seas, mostly in Britain.
London flights tend to leave in the afternoon and late evening, and for a few hours it briefly feels like the pandemic no longer exists as the airport comes to life.
Check-in desks fill up with crowds of passengers wheeling as much luggage as their tickets will permit.
Accompanied by the loved ones they leave behind, the scenes are emotionally charged and shadowed by a palpable pall of sorrow.
One family has brought along their favourite rice cooker, another a taste of home in the form of local shrimp noodles.
Some take a moment to pray, others pose for a final group photo or share gifts. An elderly lady hands her depart-ing grandchildren tradi-tional good luck red envelopes containing money.
Most of those leaving pause for a final hug before passing through the departure gates, the sound of sobbing continuing long after they have disappeared from view.
Clutching his British National Overseas (BNO) passport, 43-year-old media worker Hanson said he began making plans to leave when he saw footage of police beating democracy supporters in a subway train during protests two years ago.
Then came a new national security law which China imposed on Hong Kong to snuff out dissent.
“It will be a big change for me, quitting my job and starting anew in a foreign place,” he told AFP. “I will miss Hong Kong a lot, but the situa-tion has deteriorated too fast, so I have to go.”
Korean charity pledges help to Myanmar refugees
A South Korean priest-run charity is raising funds to provide tents and essential supplies to 300 refugees in Kayah state, a Catholic stronghold in eastern Myanmar. Korea Hope Founda-tion, a charity based in capital Seoul, has Father Choi Ki-sik as chairman of its board. The priest in Seoul Archdiocese has appeal-ed: “Let’s work together for a world where justice and peace flourish. Please join us.”
Father Choi said the refugees from Kayah were forced to flee their homes to avoid death. They are battling cold, hunger and poor sanitation during a long rainy season supply tents, sleeping bags, coats, raincoats, flu and malaria prevention medicines and hygiene products to the refugees, the Catholic Times of Korea reports. The foundation held an emergency support cam-paign in April and May to support the Myanmar Democratization Movement, raising 55 million won (nearly US$47,000) that helped in covering transporta-tion, communication costs and food and medicines for activists and 2,640 refugee families.
Japan prelate named secretary general of Asian bishops’ federation
Japanese Archbishop Tarci-sio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo has been appointed as the new Se-cretary General of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
Archbishop Kikuchi replaced Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-Sang of Macau, who resigned from the post this month.
The FABC announced the archbishops’ appointment in a letter sent to its member episcopal conferences on Thursday, July 22. As secretary general, among his duties is to direct activities of FABC’s central secretariat, exe-cute its resolutions and instru-ctions, and coordinate the work of the federation’s offices.
Born in Miyako, Iwate Pre-fecture in 1958, he was ordained a priest for the Society of the Divine Word on March 15, 1986.
He was sent to Ghana’s Korofidua diocese following his ordination, becoming the first Japanese priest to go to Africa as a missionary.
In 1999, he was elected provincial superior of the SVD missionaries in Japan.
Bangladeshi Catholics celebrate the first local priest to take up a Vatican diplomatic post
Pope Francis appointed Fr Linku Lenard Gomes, 39, as Secretary to the Apostolic Nun-ciature in Panama on 1 July.
The clergyman received the decision with a mixture of emo-tion and amazement. “Although I am not the most eligible, God chose me for his work. I will surely use my talents to perform my service in the best possible way.”
A native of the Diocese of Rajshahi, Fr Linku is the first priest from Bangladesh to join the Vatican diplomatic corps. He is scheduled to take up his post on 1 August. The priest is grate-ful to Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi for “encouraging me to pursue higher studies in Canon Law. I shall never stop thanking him.”
Fr Linku was born on 17 November 1981 in Natore, Borni parish, Diocese of Rajshahi, in a deeply devout Catholic family of six sons and two daughters.
He became a priest on 27 December 2013 and is one of 50 priests and nuns from Bangladesh to be engaged in missionary work abroad, a sign of an increasingly missionary vocation of the local Church.
Hong Kongers arrested for sedition over children’s books
Five members of a Hong Kong union behind a series of children’s books about sheep trying to hold back wolves from their village have been arrested for sedition, police announced on July 22.
The arrests by the new national security police unit, which is spearheading a sweeping crackdown on dissent, are the latest action against pro-demo-cracy activists since huge and often violent protests convulsed the city two years ago.
Vatican publishes schedule for papal trip to Hungary, Slovakia
Pope Francis’ September trip to Hungary and Slovakia features a jam-packed schedule that shows he has no intention of slowing down despite his recent recovery from colon surgery.
The Vatican July 21 released the pope’s schedule for the trip Sept. 12-15, including the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.”
The Pope announced the trip July 4 to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank those who are preparing this journey, and I am praying for them,” he said. “Let us all pray for this journey and for the people who are working to organize it.”
Arriving in Hungary Sept. 12, the Pope will meet with Hungarian President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before meeting with the country’s bishops and re-presentatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and several Jewish communities.
After celebrating the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, the Pope will immediately depart for Bratislava, Slovakia, where he will participate at an ecumenical gathering at the apostolic nunciature before meeting privately with a group of Jesuit priests.
Responding to questions on Twitter July 5 regarding the Pope’s brief stay in Hungary, Eduard Habsburg, the Hungarian ambassa-dor to the Holy See, said the Pope “is doing exactly what he has been invited for — in Budapest, the final Mass of the @iec2021 Budapest (the eucharistic congress), in Slovakia, an extended visit to the country.”
While in Slovakia, the Pope also will visit the cities of Presov and Kosice July 14 where he will preside over a Divine Liturgy, as well as meet with members of the Roma community and young people.
On his final day, July 15, Pope Francis will pray and celebrate Mass with the country’s bishops at the Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows in Šaštin before returning to Rome.
Olympics, religion played a starring role
In the early days of the Olympics, religion played a starring role. Faith leaders had front-row seats to the events and many athletes dedicated their triumphs to the gods. “Even the prizes were religious — crowns of olive leaves made from trees in a sacred grove dedicated to Zeus,” Religion News Service reported in 2016.
Religion still matters to many modern Olympic athletes, but its influence on the Games is harder to spot. You’ll have to pay close attention to Olympics coverage over the next few weeks to catch athletes praying before their events or champions thanking God during their media interviews. I, for one, feel up to the challenge and, to prepare, I did some research over the weekend into what religion-related storylines to follow during the Olympics this year.
Here are my favourite discoveries: Grace McCallum, from the women’s gymnastics squad, and Katie Ledecky, from the swimming team, are two of the many American athletes competing in this year’s Games who have talked about drawing on faith to prepare for competition. Both women are Catholic and believe their church has given them the tools to stay calm and humble in the face of a seemingly overwhelming challenge. “My dad is sending me a couple of prayers to say before each practice in the morning. I think that will be really helpful to keep me at peace,” McCallum said earlier this month.
Speaking of Catholics, the Archdiocese of Tokyo announced last week that Olympic athletes and support staff will not be allowed to attend church in-person during their stay due to COVID-19 concerns. The archdiocese will, instead, offer online worship services and other devotional video content to the athletes, Religion News Service reported.
‘Enough is enough’ of how Cuba treats its people, Bishop Cruz says at vigil
Bishop Manuel A. Cruz, a Cuban-American and an auxiliary of the Newark Archdiocese, told the congregation at a West New York Catholic church that “the hour has come to say ‘ENOUGH.’” “Our people, the Cuban people, helpless as they are, are being massacred by the tyranny of the Cuban regime. Today we say ‘enough is enough’ to that genocide,” he said.
Cruz joined more than a dozen clergy from the Arch-diocese of Newark and the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, along with the Cuban and Latino community, at St. Joseph of the Palisades Church for a July 18 prayer vigil in solidarity with the people of Cuba.
The service was for the brothers and sisters of the island of Cuba who continue to go through the trials and tribulations of their nation or, as one of the priests mentioned in his prayer, “for the people who cross their desert” to achieve above all the freedom that Jesus promised.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark presided. Also in atten-dance were Auxiliary Bishops Gregory J. Studerus and Michael A. Saporito of Newark and Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of Paterson. The Catholic leaders expressed their support for the Cuban people of the island, along with the Cuban diaspora found in the United States.